To create the latest edition of their now biannual Search Engine Ranking Factors report, SEOMoz.org conducted a survey of more than seventy top SEO experts from around the world and compiled the results on a single information rich webpage. The report is an essential read for anyone even slightly concerned with how their company’s sites rank and where they should focus their efforts to improve performance and I highly recommend reading it.

Interestingly enough, three of the top five factors from 2007 have simply bounced around this year’s top five. Perhaps things don’t move quite as fast we think they do in the world of search? Of 2007’s top factors, only domain age has dropped off the map in terms of importance, moving from the top five to barely a factor at all, with the more sophisticated measure of trustworthiness taking up the slack.

Here’s how the top five shape up:

1. Keyword Focused Anchor Text from External Links (#3 in 2007)

While Google’s official opinion of SEO practitioners seems to range from ambivalence to antipathy, optimized anchor text is clearly a more important factor than ever. Descriptive anchor text (think “free press release podcast” rather than “click here“) acts as a signpost to readers and robots indicating what they should expect at the tail end of each link. There’s no time like the present to start being more mindful in the words you choose for your hyperlinks. In the case of press releases, Business Wire clients can use our keyword tool within the Press Release Builder to discover and optimize for relevant and frequently searched keywords in news searches. Other popular tools include the Google AdWords keyword tool.

2. External Link Popularity (#2 in 2007)
3. Diversity of Link Sources

The more links the better! Building links from a wide range of quality sites can be very effective to help you climb the search mountain and outrank competitors. This is a marathon, not a sprint. A sustained linkbuilding effort may not always pay immediate dividends, but should reap rewards over time. A periodic press release distribution can be a key component of your campaigns.

4. Keyword Use Anywhere in the Title Tag (#1 in 2007)Much like anchor text, page titles benefit greatly from the inclusion of keywords and phrases that are important to your company. Though not mentioned specifically in this section of the report, it’s widely considered a best practice to ensure your keywords are also within the first 60 or so characters of your page titles to ensure they show up to readers on Google, Google News, Yahoo!, Bing and elsewhere. Also worth mentioning is that your release’s headline will also serve as your page title in the world of press releases.

5. Trustworthiness of the Domain

Trustworthiness refers to a site’s mozRank, which is a “10-point measure of global link authority or popularity . . . very similar in purpose to the measures . . . used by the search engines.” The trustworthiness of a domain casts a wide net of influence across its rankings instead of a narrow range of search keywords.

Personally, my main takeaway from the report is that how you link and where you get links are as important as ever in helping you to achieve your search goals. As always, press release distribution can be an essential component of your marketing-pr mix. Where else can you create compelling and keyword rich webpages, links with custom anchor text, and push your message out to a broad mix of authoritative sites?

While it’s true that we count some very large companies among our clients, we are also mindful of the needs of startups and small businesses and provide press release distribution tools and services that can fit almost any budget.

-An optimization tool which we call the Press Release Builder that helps you create or optimize your release for search engine performance,
-Distribution in Google News, targeted RSS feeds, and Docstoc.com
-Social sharing links that facilitate your release getting into the social sphere
-Multimedia galleries providing assets such as photos and video in multiple formats to interested journalists, bloggers, and consumers for easy redistribution.

Beyond that, EON enables you to embed images within your release, include active hyperlinks with anchor text of your choosing, and a website preview window with any website of your choosing embedded.

EON starts from $295 for lifetime release hosting. Multimedia assets are $100 for the first and $50 for each additional. Here’s two examples of EON releases which really get the most out of the platform:

Our metro wire circuits are also very affordable, starting at only $210 for a release under 400 words. Take a look at your options and get in touch with a Business Wire representative near you (we have over 20 offices) if you have any questions or would like to get started.

Of course the world doesn’t revolve around Business Wire, and there are some great low cost or no cost ways of driving traffic to your site or blog include everything from actively twittering, participating in blogger communities such as BlogCatalog.com, writing guest posts through services like Bloggerlinkup.com, searching for PR opportunities on HARO (or our ExpertSource service), and studying up on everything SEO on sites and forums such as SEOMoz.org to name a few!

Turn it into an advisory. That’s the advice of Business Wire’s Bill Mikulak, Senior News Editor out of our Los Angeles office.

Bill, who’s seen his share of news advisories, should know. When not editing copy and advising clients at Business Wire, he sometimes teaches public relations at Los Angeles area colleges and universities.

Part of Bill’s reasoning for promoting advisories is that at Business Wire, advisories include a free reminder the day of the event, so you get two bangs for the buck. Hear more in this edition of the All Things Press Release podcast: Turn Your Press Release Into an Advisory.

Business Wire Florida hosted “Hispanic PR Strategies & Marketing Trends,” a media breakfast for Miami-area communicators on August 13. The event featured a panel discussion on communications efforts targeting the US Latino market.

Mr. Fauntleroy notes that the Hispanic population in the US continues to grow (with a 3.2 percent increase in population last year and a projected population of 133 million by the year 2050) and that that population continues to show a steady increase in both education and income level. This group has also shown to index highly in brand loyalty and is very brand conscious overall. Spanish language advertising remains effective with them.

Mr. Garcia points out that the top draw to his paper’s website, ElNuevoHerald.com, is the photo gallery. He advises PR professionals pitching his paper to think beyond the written word: include multimedia content in pitches to increase your chance of coverage.

Mr. Duran says that social media is an incredible bridge for the Hispanic audience. ImpreMedia has someone Twittering every half hour. Another major trend is mobile marketing, as mobile accounts for ten percent of ImpreMedia’s online traffic. Mr. Duran notes that Hispanics over-index by more than twice the national average in using the Internet on their mobile devices.

Ms. Solano notes that, despite all the other channels discussed, television remains critical for reaching the Hispanic market. It still boasts the greatest reach of all media for the demographic, drawing both young and old.

Mr. Mercado says that, while first generation Hispanic Americans remains the primary target of Terra Networks, they cannot forget about second and third generation users. They have evolved with this group by providing English content on their site, which has grown by 186 percent since its launch last year.

Local Business Wire offices host several events each year on PR, IR, SEO & media topics. Check out the Business Wire Events page to find upcoming events in your area.

How to do it is covered in today’s All Things Press Release podcast from Business Wire’s Global Operations Manager Michael Poirier, who joins us for this episode from our Boston office. Mike began his news delivery career in grade school as a paperboy and has been working and playing with new media ever since.

As the 13-year newsroom veteran points out, we’re seeing clients refer to Twitter in their press release efforts with increasing frequency. So how do you add Twitter to your press release?

Take a listen and find out in this edition of the All Things Press Release podcast, Adding Twitter to your Press Release:

Join Business Wire experts in your area for media breakfasts, panel discussions and other insightful events. We bring local media members and industry thought leaders to your market to discuss today’s most relevant topics, from writing for SEO to marketing with social media. Best of all, Business Wire events are usually free of charge. Check out some of our upcoming events in your area:

With all the talk about social media and the decline of traditional media, it is clear that we have more communication vehicles than ever and consumers are absorbing their information from multiple niche sources, rather than a few primary ones. With the pressing need to keep our conversations meaningful, can we still reach mass audiences and demonstrating ROI? Joe Hodas, Senior Vice President, Brand Communications at Vladimir Jones, moderates a panel including: Steve Snyder, Director, Corporate Communications, Frontier Airlines; Michael Booth, Anchor Team Writer, The Denver Post; Eric Elkins, CEO and ePR/Social Media/Marketing Strategist, WideFoc.us; Jack Maher, Executive Producer, 9News; and Sandi Garcia, Communications and Public Affairs Director, The Kempe Foundation, Kempe Children’s Center. This event is free for Business Wire members and $20 for non-members.

It has become increasingly difficult for the public, investors and regulators to understand how public companies report their corporate stories. With the recent financial crisis, there is a greater need than ever for transparency in reporting financial performance, as well as meeting corporate disclosure and accountability standards. Join Business Wire Silicon Valley and an expert panel for a discussion on corporate transparency, media communications, best practices and experiences in covering financial news from the larger tech companies in the Bay Area. Business Wire and the Tech Museum of Innovation will host the panel, which will be moderated by Steve Trousdale, Business Editor, San Jose Mercury Newsand will include Aaron Ricadela, Business and Tech Writer for Business Week, Shana Lynch, Associate Editor for the Silicon Valley Business Journal and Michael Liedtke, Tech Reporter, The Associated Press. This event is free for Business Wire members and $15 for non-members.

Lori, who pretty much fits the mold of Business Wire editor with a history as first runner-up in her Troy, Pennsylvania, junior high spelling bee, is starting her second year as an editor. She suggests ways to get on the radar screen of reporters and news consumers so that you and your organization are perceived as an information source.